Poland's ambitious push for cycling: regional successes and national strategies

On 16 February 2024, around 200 local and regional government officials gathered for a conference focused on the technical, organisational, and financial aspects of cycling tourism. Hosted by West Pomerania Voivodeship (Poland) and Uckermark District (Germany), the event was part of the Polish-German Cycle Tourism Days.

West Pomerania and Małopolska in Poland have made significant progress in developing regional cycle networks, investing in a 1100-km cycle network. The regional authorities actively participated in planning, funding, and implementing the infrastructure. The conference emphasised the importance of integrating cycling with other transport modes and addressed barriers such as regulatory hurdles and potential conflicts with railway and motorway projects.

The need for supra-regional cooperation was stressed by Wanda Nowotarska, the Regional Cycling Officer, highlighting the development of a draft concept for a national cycle network among different voivodships. Aleksander Buczyński, ECF Infrastructure Officer, presented European perspectives on cycling integration in policies and funding, emphasising the importance of coordination at the national level. The French and German cycling associations also shared good practices and challenges in their respective countries.

Looking ahead, Poland plans to allocate nearly €800 million from the EU Structural Funds for cycling investments in the 2021-2027 financial period, the highest among Member States. West Pomerania demonstrated successful use of funding and identified key action points for the national level, including establishing a National EuroVelo Coordination Centre, improving legislative frameworks, integrating cycling into large infrastructure projects, and providing education for civil engineers and designers, often unaware of current cycling infrastructure standards.